Fence coupling for wood posts and wood rails



`luly 23, 1957 A. J. GERSTNER FENCE coUPLING FOR woon PosTs AND woon RAILS Filed Aug. l5, 1955 FIGURE 2.

United States Patent O FENCE COUPLING FOR WOOD POSTS AND WOOD RAILS Ambrose I. Gerstner, Merriam, Kaus.

Application August 15, 1955, Serial No. 528,448

2 Claims. (Cl. 256-65) This invention relates to a fence coupling for wood posts and wood rails secured in the coupling by woven wire fabric attached to the wood posts and wood rails.

Heretofore wood rails have been morticed, nailed and bolted to the wood posts of fences for supporting the woven wire fabric secured thereto.

An object of the present invention is to provide couplings to receive the end portions of the wood posts and wood rails of a fence and be secured in the couplings by the attachment of the woven wire fabric to the wood posts and wood rails.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a coupling comprising; a rectangular sleeve member for the top of a wood post and extended above the top of the post a sucient distance and provided with rectangular openings for receiving the end portions of the rectangular wood rails.

The primary advantage of the present coupling is that fences are built without the use of nails, bolts, morticing or set screws.

Another advantage is that the sleeve adds height above the post for a given height of fence.

Another advantage is that the post can be of smaller cross-section than posts that have heretofore been morticed.

With these objects and advantages in view the invention will be fore fully understood from the accompanying l drawing, this specilcation and the claims appended.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved couplings connecting the wood rails and posts together illustrating the woven wire fabric attached to the wood rails and posts to secure the end portions of the wood rails and posts within the couplings.

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the improved coupling for a corner post.

Figure 3 is an enlarged plan view with parts in section of two wood rail end portions and a wood post tted in the coupling for an intermediate post and the top portion of "the coupling is broken away to show the interior thereof.

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken on lines 4 4 of Figure 5 and illustrates the wood rail portion above the ribs of the sleeve coupling and the wood post portion fitted in the sleeve and butted against the ribs.

Figure 5 is a broken View similar to Figure 3 with the exception that one wood rail portion is at right angles to the other wood rail portion for a corner post coupling such as illustrated in Figure 2.

My improved coupling is preferably illustrated as a square sleeve 10., In Figure 2 the coupling sleeve 10 is shown preferably with a closed end or cap 11 at the top thereof, the opposite or lower end 12 is open to receive the top end portion 13 of a wood post 19 or 20, ribs 15 located inside of the sleeve 10 are secured to the coupling sleeve 10, and the ribs 15 are spaced parallel from the open end 12 of the coupling sleeve 10 to provide stops for the wood post 19 or 20.

2,800,305 Patented July 23, 1957 Side openings 16 are provided in the side walls of the sleeve 1t) above the ribs 15 and between the ribs 15 and the closed or capped end portion 11 thereof. The openings 16 are preferably of rectangular shape to receive the end portions 17 of the wood rails 13 which are of rectangular shape. The openings 16 are located immediately above the ribs 15 for support of the rail end portions 17, and the openings 16 are located in opposite sides of the sleeve 10 for an intermediate post 19, as shown in Figure 3, or located in adjacent sides thereof for a corner post 20 as illustrated in Figures 2 and 5.

The fence 21 is preferably constructed as illustrated in Figure 1. Intermediate wood posts 19 and the corner posts 20y (only one being shown) are erected and set in the ground with any of the well known methods. The intermediate couplings 22 are fitted over the top end portion 13 of the intermediate wood posts 19, and the corner post couplings 24 are fitted over the corner wood posts 20.

Where there is to be an end post for a gate or the like, one side opening 16 is sufficient in the coupling sleeve. The wood rails 18 have the end portions 17 inserted in the openings of the coupling sleeves 10, rest on the ribs 15 and are retained and secured in the coupling sleeve 10 by attaching the woven wire fabric or chain fencing 25 to the wood posts and wood rails with staples 26. No bolts, nails or morticing of the posts are required. Shorter wood posts are used than heretofore for a given height by the extension of the coupling from the top ofthe post to the given height.

What l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A fence having rectangular wood posts and rectangular wood rails, a plurality of rectangular sleeve mem bers, one end portion of each sleeve member being fitted over the top portion of a rectangular wood post, each sleeve member having rectangular side openings therein above the top of each wood post, each sleeve member being fitted with the end portions of the rectangular wood rails projected through the rectangular side openings into the sleeve member so as to prevent the wood rails from turning on the longitudinal axes thereof, woven wire fabric, said woven wire fabric covering the length of the wood rails and a major portion of the depth of the wood posts, said woven wire fabric being attached to one face of each of the wood rails and wood posts in the same plane, and said woven wire fabric securing the end positions of the wood rails and wood posts in said rectangular sleeve members.

2. A coupling for a wire woven fence with Wood posts and wood rails; the coupling, comprising: a rectangular sleeve member, said rectangular sleeve member being straight and of uniform section, one end of said sleeve member being open, the opposite end of said sleeve member being closed with an end wall, ribs, said ribs being spaced parallel from the open end of said sleeve member, said ribs being projected into the hollow portion of the sleeve member, and said sleeve member having rectangular openings in the sides thereof located between the said ribs and the closed end of the sleeve member so as to receive the end portions of the wood rails and prevent them from being turned on their longitudinal axes by the tension of the wire woven fence when attached thereto.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 505,781 Vance Sept. 26, 1893 1,840,278 Rich Jan. 5, 1932 2,195,072 Bauer Mar. 26, 1940 

